Chapter 2: Hunter

When Jun re-entered the waking world, she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. It confirmed her greatest fear at that moment; she hadn't dreamt it; she hadn't dreamt going with that strange blonde woman. It wasn't solely the creation of her mind that she had changed into something that wasn't human. Anxious convulsions threatened to take willed her breathing to slow and prevent hyperventilation. This helped her regain composure and take in her surroundings. She was in a hospital bed situated in a private room with basic amenities. The walls were a sterile white, and a camera had been set up at the base of the bed. Whoever they were, they had been watching her the entire time. They had clothed her whilst she was unconscious as well, in a basic set of whites. She felt like a caged animal, some kind of curiosity put on display. She stood up and entered the adjacent bathroom to find herself reflected in the mirror above the sink. She ran her hand up and down her face; she didn't look different now. There was no physical evidence that she could see of what transpired the night before. She had no wounds that she could see when she examined herself more thoroughly. She did not feel different either. Nothing happened when she stared at her reflection and tried to will some kind of change, as if hoping to find that last night was a falsehood. She became more and more agitated as she did so, surprising herself with her own rage when she struck the mirror. The shards of glass fell into the sink and she observed the nasty gash she had given herself. Blood trickled slowly down her wrist. It frustrated her that she felt so normal, like last night was just a bad dream and nothing more. But she knew that just wasn't true. And what frightened her most was her memory of becoming that monster; she remembered the feelings of elation and pleasure it had, in tandem with horrific bloodlust that she never believed she could ever be capable of. She sat down on her bed and glared into the camera. For a while she sat in silence, contemplating things. Anger subsided into resignation.

"Do you enjoy watching me?" She asked the camera candidly, directing the question at her observers hiding behind it. "Did you lock me up in here because I frighten you?" She sniffed, some tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I was raised near Sendai by my Mother and Grandfather. I don't know who my Father is. They never talked about him. Of course, you probably know all about it. You probably know who my father is, what school I went to, what friends I had as a child, my favourite food, favourite colour, everything about me. You'll know I was always sick as a child, and shy to everyone. I never quite felt like I fit in." The scent of blood from her own wound gave her a strange feeling. It reminded her of something, something she had forgotten for a great many years.

"There is something you might not know, because I never told anyone about this and I don't believe my mother did. I think I was eight years old. My mother took me for a walk in the woods one evening. For some reason, I don't quite remember what, I wandered off when she wasn't looking and found a small cave." Jun parted her fringe, indicating a small scar on her forehead. "I don't know if you can make it out but what I am remembering is how I got this nasty little thing. It's just as well my hair hides it, I might have had a harder time becoming a model if everybody could see it. The cave that I found wasn't unoccupied. Some long eared bats were sleeping inside. And I interrupted their naps. Most of them just flew off, frightening the life out of me, but one took particular offence and bit me right here," she pointed directly at the scar. "Since then, I don't know if I was ever really the same. I remember being bitten but I still can't remember anything that happened after that." Jun paused a moment to think. "No in fact, I remember waking up in the hospital. It's the time in between that's a complete blank." After her story, she didn't feel like speaking more, so she laid down on the bed, alone with her frustrations and fears.

After some time; Jun had no way to tell how long, the door finally opened. Lan Asuka entered, holding a set of clothes. She immediately noticed Jun's bloody hand.

"I see you must be getting impatient; with no one else's blood to spill, you resorted to your own." Jun immediately and self-consciously covered the injured hand, otherwise not dignifying that with a response. "I'll send a nurse to bandage that wound; get changed, you have a meeting to attend. I'll be back for you in fifteen minutes." After having her hand bandaged, and getting changed, Jun followed Asuka through a series of corridors and down an elevator. The nurse that had tended her had carried the work out in awkward silence; it hadn't done anything for Jun's mood. She quickly realised that she was not in fact in a hospital; the decor instead suggested that this was a research facility of some kind. A hospital would have some element of comfort in its general ambience, this place however was stifling. There was no sign that anybody coalesced here. However the floor which they ascended to was much more like an administration office.

"Just where are we?" Jun asked Asuka as they exited the elevator.

"The base of the JSDF," Asuka responded bluntly, "More specifically, a new facility recently built for the provision of the Human Alliance."

"You mentioned that term before. What does it actually mean?" Jun asked as Asuka escorted her through increasingly patriotic corridors; walls blanketed with photos and paintings of Japanese military history.

"I suppose I left some blanks for you that I should probably fill in. The organisation fulfils a mandate both to research and to counter this recently discovered phenomenon that is known colloquially as devil beast syndrome, and is strictly for the moment a relationship between Japan and the United States. Our main research facility is at the Samuelson Labs in Washington, and the building that we are in right now is what we have to work with in Tokyo. Officially, my title is Chief Operations Officer. On certain things I'm still answerable to the JSDF hierarchy. "

Asuka's explanation came without much emotion. "Right now, would be an example of that."

Asuka gestured at the surroundings. They had reached a particularly ornate doorway, which look like the office of somebody very high up in the JSDF.

"They want to see you before you leave, and it makes sense to introduce you to some of the people you'll be working with. Consider this your first official debriefing," Asuka explained as she knocked on the door.

"Come in," uttered a fastidious voice. As Jun followed Asuka in; there was indeed no mistaking the fact this was a high-ranking military official's office. There were numerous flags and commendations hanging on the walls, surrounding a very large desk. Aside from the man who sat behind the desk, there was another occupant, a grim looking man who stood aside as they walked in.

"So this is our Beast Hunter," he said with piqued curiosity, "Come closer; let me take a good look at you." Jun sheepishly stepped forward.

"Allow me to introduce myself ; I am General Katsumi Seta," the man said, and having stepped closer, she could more easily see the contours of his face. She placed him in his late fifties, with a broad jaw and prominent crows feet. His face looked like it was permanently stern. Pretty much what she expected for a military general.

"I'm Jun Fudo," Jun bowed; she wasn't really sure what the right protocol was but it was rare to go wrong with the traditional bow.

This building has never really entertained anyone of your profession in the past. I was told you were very beautiful; and this is not wrong. I was shown tapes of the incidents last night, but only ones after you transformed."

"I see." Jun didn't fill the pause that had been offered for her to respond; she just didn't know what to really say.

"I imagine it's a shock, and I imagine the days ahead will not be easy for you." His voice was... he was trying to give her some reassurance, Jun realised. That was rather futile however.

"To say it was a shock would be an understatement," Jun responded, some grit finding its way into her voice.

"I've been given the impression that you're willing to cooperate with us. Given what you faced last night, I imagine you could appreciate where we're coming from," General Seta said as he stood up. He walked to a wall chart in his office which showed biological diagrams Jun didn't really understand. "The growth of that creature was entirely unexpected; uncharted territory. Our researchers theorised the possibility, and now it has raised the stakes greatly." He looked towards Jun as he shifted his hand to point to a map of Tokyo. "The capacity of damage these creatures could do if not contained would be hard to measure; and the fact that they can appear anywhere within the city limits our tactics."

"I... you need me because of that thing I became," Jun realised. "A real life Gojira." Seta nodded.

"I'm sure you yourself have an idea of the damage such creatures can do," he said by way of confirmation, "Having a means to fight them head on would definitely entail the least risk and endanger less civilians. Of course, it would be a matter of policy that it only be used as a last resort."

"Indeed, Jun, we believe the majority of beast cases will not lead to this 'Giga Effect'," Asuka added, "And you're quite unique in your ability to do it at will. It doesn't work that way with the rest, we believe. So we don't want to increase the scale of these hunts unless the quarry forces us to. It caused us some headaches last night, fortunately we knew no witnesses were in the vicinity, we needed it clear for our activities anyway. For the noise and aftermath, the cover story was illegally stored explosives going off." That did make sense to Jun; it would become exponentially more difficult to cover up these events when they involved giant monsters, as opposed to simply monsters. Only so many ways you could hide it with convenient, rational explanations. She didn't want to bring any more endangerment to the environment around herself than she absolutely had to. She was fine to go along with this policy.

"I want you to realise that you're here because we need you," General Seta placed a hand on her shoulder. Jun guessed that one of the many talents high-ranking military official would have to have the ability to stir the motivations of those under them; General Seta was certainly putting it to use against her. How could she reasonably refuse, not that she was really being given a choice.

"I'm willing to help," she answered, "And I understand. Only become the giant, as a last resort." She was in no hurry to become that giant monster again anyway. Seta nodded at her; but did not smile. She didn't get the impression that he smiled very often.

"Now that that's out of the way, allow me to introduce the team that you will be working with. You've already been acquainted with our Chief Operations Officer, Lan Asuka." Jun didn't particularly try to hide her disdain as she nodded towards Asuka.

"She definitely has a knack for identifying those with the potential to undergo these mutations. She also has more field experience than anybody else at dealing with the results of those mutations," Seta explained, "There is no one else more qualified to direct you within operations, and in fact the idea to employ one such as yourself was her idea originally."

"So this plan to ruin my life was her idea? That doesn't really surprise me, she's been doing a hell of a job of it since last night."

"Jun, you would have discovered your real self sooner or later, and without our supervision the shock of that could have made you like many of the others, a base animal that only wants to kill. Would you have preferred that?" Asuka chided. Jun could only shake her head, at the severe unfairness of the situation as much as expressing her answer to the question.

"Whatever that self is, it's not my 'real' self," she said defiantly. Seta carried on his introductions. He gestured to the stonefaced man dressed in a blue uniform, who until this point hadn't uttered a single word.

"This is Major Masayoshi Yamazaki. He commands the JSDF ground forces that will be supporting you." Yamazaki saluted, his expression hard to read.

"It will be my men who'll have to put their lives on the line if you're not up to task, Fudo. Remember that," he said before looking at Seta to be dismissed. He walked out of the office without so much as another glance at Jun.

"He's a man of few words, and has his doubts about you, but he is dedicated to his duty and you can count on him for support should you need it," Seta explained.

"I think it rubs him the wrong way that technically Jun, you are not under his command, but under mine. In military terms he operates under us. Given that you're not a military asset, he sees it as improper," Asuka said.

"In many ways it is," Seta extended as he sat back down at his desk, "But this is not an ordinary situation. We can provide facilities for you to undergo some formal training, so that you understand our protocols properly. But otherwise, this is fieldwork that's extremely difficult to prepare for; and only you are particularly suited for. The human alliance fields the only experts we have on these mutations. That's why you're considered their asset, and why we're here more for support than anything else." Jun nodded her understanding, and turned to leave. Asuka followed her through the office door.

"General Seta is right that you'll need some training on military protocol. You shouldn't leave until you are formally dismissed," Asuka scolded as they walked back along the corridor. Jun turned around.

"I'm not a military asset, nor under his command. I might be under your command, but if you think I'm going to salute you, you can go to hell," Jun remarked with fire in her voice. Asuka laughed.

"I didn't expect to see a bit more spirit from you. Maybe you really will take to this better than anyone could have predicted. Anyway, I have further business here. My secretary is waiting at the entrance, she is going to drive you home. She'll explain some of the practicalities we couldn't cover today."

Jun followed without further reply. In the main reception hall, Asuka signed Jun out of the building. An ebony haired woman wearing spectacles and a crisp white suit approached.

"This is Izumi Kogare, my secretary. As I said, she will drive you home. You'll see me again, sooner rather than later. You can handle this, Izumi dear?" Kogare's face was an emotionless mask.

"Yes Asuka. Miss Fudo, follow me." Jun followed Kogare past the guarded carousel doors to the car park. She ferried Jun into the back seat of the car, before climbing into the driver seat herself. Jun wrinkled her nose to the realisation that both Asuka and Kogare carried with them a particular odour; one that reminded her of the previous night. Kogare must have noticed the way in which she reacted.

"It seems you notice that I spend a great deal of time surrounded by specimens like you. To be honest, you're the first one we've obtained that we are allowing to walk free."

"Does that bother you?" Jun replied, not hiding her disdain.

"No, not really. The data we'll be able to gather from you in the field alone will be worth it," Kogare looked at her, then away again. "Speaking of, I'm required to give you a timetable. Asuka requested that I put it together with some respect for your occupation and socialising time. You'll be required to attend training sessions at the military academy and submit to regular medical examinations, including psychiatric care."

"I'm overjoyed," Jun sighed sarcastically. Kogare didn't bite.

"Several of our scientists were rather desperate to work with you directly, and at some point that might happen," Kogare continued, "However Asuka made it clear that the priority should be on your preparation and training for fieldwork. I also factored this into the timetable."

"One way or another, I'm a guinea pig." Jun observed, beginning to resign her situation. Nothing more was said until they reached Jun's apartment block. Kogare handed her a folder and a phone.

"When you are needed, and not contacted in person, it will be through this phone," the woman coldly explained, "And in most cases I will come to collect you. We'll be seeing a lot more of one another." Kogare did not say that as if she relished the prospect. Nor did Jun; this woman was a Queen of Ice. She took the phone and then walked away. Kogare said nothing else as she got back in the car and drove off.

Jun thought she would have been grateful to be home; but after all she'd been through it provided little respite. The memories of the night before still lingered; she stared again at her hands, recalling the blood that had covered them. What was she? Was Jun Fudo just a suit she wore, and those terrible dreams and her ugly thoughts the expressions of what she really was? She sat down and buried her head in her hands, unable to keep the emotions bottled up any longer. She wailed, beset by such horrible feelings of impotence. And those were the feelings that she could understand; underneath them was something, something else. A terrifying rage. A rage that if set free, she felt could do untold damage before she could stop herself. How easy for it would be to just let go; how easy would it be to start tearing apart the world around her. She wanted to kill Asuka. Then after that, probably anybody who was unlucky enough to be on her path. Such terrible thoughts, yet they were not alien. How often in the past had she stifled her aggression through sheer force of will? For years she thought she didn't understand herself; now she did all too well. And no matter how much she tried to separate it from herself she knew that was completely futile. As she sat mulling her thoughts, she considered her options. She couldn't run; they'd find her. But there was another way... if she had the will to go ahead with it. She wandered into her bathroom and pulled open the glass medicine cabinet. Inside were pills that she sometimes took to help with insomnia that previously had been relating to her nightmares. Downing the whole bottle would do for a normal person, and then some, but she wasn't exactly normal now was she? But whether it worked or not, it was the decision to try that mattered most. Did she really want to go there? She poured herself a glass of water as she debated the merits of doing so. In a morbid way, the idea of simply denying Lan Asuka the ability to force her to do her dirty work held appeal. But what seemed most important, was that she did not want to be a monster. She popped the lid off the bottle of pills and held only inches from her mouth when the phone rang. She froze, and let it ring out. The calmative voice of Yuasa spoke from the answering machine.

"Hello Jun, I'm calling to let you know that I won't be able to meet you ahead of the shoot in Akihabara, my apologies but my daughter is ill and her mother asked me to look after her for a few hours. I should see you there, call the office if you need any directions. Bye." There was an audible click as he hanged up, and the recording stopped. Jun looked again at the pills in her hand. Then she threw them away, ashamed and embarrassed what she was going to do, as if Yuasa had practically walked in on her.

The television commercial was being filmed on a small makeshift set in what basically looked like a parking area. Several trailers were set up for the staff. A young, mawkish attendant escorted her straight to the dressing trailer, a large chrome metal box on stilts.

"You're Jun Fudo, right? You look beautiful in person if you don't mind me saying," he mumbled that he stood at the door of the trailer.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling as pleasantly as her feelings would let her. "Sorry, I know I'm late. Do you know if my agent has arrived yet?"

"Mr. Yuasa will be here in half an hour, last I heard," the attendant said, "You should be fine if you just follow what the director and producer tell you. Also, if you need anything at all during the breaks in shooting just let me know, my name is Takase." The offer was made in such speed and enthusiasm that Jun could easily tell he was rather nervous.

"Thanks, I'll let you know if I need anything." Jun knew that she was the last person still to get in costume for the shoot. She had seen all the other girls outside who were already prepared. All of them were wearing the same pristine white togas, making them look like virgin sacrifices. Although Yuasa had told her what the commercial was for, she didn't actually remember. She did remember what he said about the content however, that the employed models would all be set upon crosses in those elaborate robes set against a desolate backdrop. It had sounded like whoever came up with it wanted to work on films, rather than TV ads. But still, it was a pretty easy payday. When she finished getting changed, she headed onto the set to join the rest of the girls. One of them came from the same model agency as Jun did, the rest must have come from others. She didn't really know any of them, and felt rather isolated as she stood there whilst the rest of them carried a conversation.

Mercifully they only loitered for a few minutes before the filming staff got into position. Grips and technicians helped each girl in turn be hoisted onto large wooden crosses. Small bonfires were set up around them and the scene was completed by the giant matte painting of a grey desert scene. Shooting began once the fires were lit, and Jun followed the direction as best she could.

The director, Renji Fukushima, a short balding man with a goatee, was fairly energetic and focused on the roving camera. He was also making comments of critique.

"These girls are all pretty enough, but I can't say any of them are following direction particularly well, they're supposed to look otherworldly... Wait, I want you to zoom in on her," he instructed the cameraman, pointing to Jun.

"I don't think that was in the script," came the reply, however the director reaffirmed what he wanted quite strenuously. Jun stared into the camera as it closed towards her, and lost herself.

She had come yet again to this place. This red hell full of monsters and decay. The ruins of a dead city surrounded her but she was transfixed on what was right in front of her; a pile of corpses that stretched into the sky. She backed away horrified, unable to comprehend the sheer scale of this rotting tower. She wanted to turn and run, but where was anywhere to run? All she could see regardless of direction was an endless portrait of death, the wrecked shadows of once mighty buildings. Then she heard the voices. They wanted her to join them, spoke of pain and misery, filled her head with thoughts of blood and anger. Eventually they overwhelmed her so much that she collapsed, trying to close her ears in vain; to block the moans and wailing out. She tried to crawl away, but stopped as soon as she realised she was staring at stout muscular legs. When she looked up, she saw the eyes. The golden glowing, cruel eyes. Her own eyes. For the first time she was face to face with the beast inside of her. It towered over her, it crouched down to take her by the throat. She flailed helplessly, her legs over a foot above the ground. Then it simply carried her to the pillar of corpses and held her against it. It grinned ghastly, baring its fangs. There was no need for it to say anything, as Jun helplessly writhed, muscular tendons broke from the corpses and tied around her arms and legs. She screamed for help, for any deliverance, but who could possibly be left to come in a place like this?

When awareness returned to Jun, the technicians had begun taking the girls down. She had a cold sweat and felt an acute anxiety about the dream she had just had. But judging from the fact that she hadn't drawn any attention, she realised that she hadn't fallen asleep. She did know that she wanted the hell off this cross, and she barked at one of the stagehands to get her down. It was probably more rude than she had intended, as he did so with a begrudging look on his face. She ignored him and started to head for the trailer. She was so quick, that she almost walked right into the director.

"Miss Fudo, I would just like to thank you for your contribution. We got a shot of your eyes which quite honestly were transfixing. You looked like you were in another world, I could not have asked for a better expression. You truly have talent," he praised. Jun paused for a moment to try and recollect herself.

"Thank you," she responded limply, "Uh, I apologise. If you'll excuse me, I don't feel so great."

"Of course, I'll send your agent to you when he arrives. I'm sorry to hear you feel ill. We have a little bit more filming to do. Do you think you'll still be able to participate?" Although Jun didn't really want to, she felt that if she let these constant visions get in the way of her work she might as well quit entirely.

"I'm sure I'll be all right in a little while. When do you want me to come back?" she asked

"In half an hour? It would mean extending the break for everyone, but frankly I don't want to continue until you're ready."

"Thanks for your consideration." She bowed to show her sincerity and then walked briskly to the dressing trailer, oblivious to the mutterings about herself from the other models.

She passed around twenty minutes in the trailer staring at the window. Her anxiety had returned in full swing, her mind flailing helplessly unable to deal with the reality of her situation. How could that creature be her? How could it be inside of her? She never wanted to hurt anyone, she never wished to be violent. But in that dream, vision, whatever it was, she was both herself and that creature. The feelings both of helplessness and fear overlapped with the feelings of power and control. Never before in her life had she felt less understanding of her own mind.

She heard a knock on the door, and assumed Yuasa had arrived; however it was the young attendant, Takase, carrying bags of fast-food.

"Hi Miss Fudo, I thought you might want something to eat," he said meekly, "They sent me to a diner across the street for some take-out for everybody. Want to eat out here with me?" The choice of cuisine was definitely indicative of this commercial shoot not being like most of her other jobs. They would not offer burgers and fries at any of the photo shoots she had ever been. Frankly she found herself quite willing to accept the chance to eat a little irresponsibly for a change.

"Sure, sounds good," she smiled.

She tucked into a cheeseburger as the attendant spoke to her through a mouthful of fries.

"So, I've seen some of your work in Kiki. I don't think photos do you justice really. It's been cool to meet you in person." Jun thought better of answering whilst her mouth was still full. "Wow, I guess even models can have really good appetites," he commented, smiling and rubbing the back of his head, as she finished devouring the burger. As she licked her lips, she decided she was rather agitated by the boys awkward attempts at conversation. She strode forward, cornering him against the trailer and put her hands around his shoulders. She stared into his hesitant eyes, her own face smouldering with sultry intentions; she then pressed her lips onto his, completely controlling him. She held on for several seconds, and when she did release she made sure he looked into her eyes, seeking to communicate with them that he was little more than a toy to her. The boy was shocked silent, her lipstick smeared across his lips, and close to tears. He ran off like a frightened child, and Jun laughed, appreciating the power she had in doing that to him. But then she looked at the empty food wrappers he had dropped on the ground. Laughter turned to tears. She couldn't understand why she did it, other than she knew it would be cruel.

"Jun?" She heard a voice say, "Is something the matter?" Jun had been caught unawares and had still been crying.

"No, no nothing's wrong, Yuasa. I guess I'm just feeling a little off today. I'm fine now." she tried to pull herself together. Yuasa moved closer with a worried look on his face.

"Are you sure, Jun?" he said gently. "Don't push yourself more than you have to, Jun. we can leave early if you don't feel up to it. " Jun shook her head

"No, it's fine. I must be due back on set by now; I better go." Jun didn't feel like she wanted to think about this any longer.

Yuasa watched as she marched off with uncharacteristic speed. He was surprised by what he saw between Jun and the attendant. It wasn't like her to just toy with someone like that. Perhaps she was simply feeling unwell, as she said, and if she had issues to deal with, it wasn't his business so long as it didn't affect her ability to do her job. At least, that's what he told himself. It wasn't always enough when it came to Jun Fudo.

After finishing up the commercial shoot, Jun met with Kazumi in a small Italian restaurant they frequently visited in Akihabara. Eating with Kazumi had been the first real period of time that day in which the prior night's events weren't on her mind. It was quite a nice, homely place with pretty wooden tables and chairs. Kazumi updated her with gossip about her friends at school, complained about the curfew her parents had set interfering with her ability to get certain jobs, and sharing her thoughts on the latest issue of the regular fashion magazine she bought. Kazumi would always playfully chide her that she didn't take enough of an interest in her competition.

"Jun, you gotta keep up-to-date with these things, or before you know it you're a relic, yesterday's news. It's an ugly world out there!" she ranted, causing Jun to flinch as the words reminded her of things that blonde woman had said. "Uh, sorry, did I say something wrong?" Kazumi asked sincerely.

"Sorry, it's nothing. Say, who designed this outfit?" She said to get away from the subject, pointing to a page of the open magazine. She stayed quiet and finished her meal as Kazumi continued. Jun did her best to focus on the conversation but like a ship lost at sea her mind floundered between thoughts of the past and the present. However she found some focus again when Kazumi changed the subject.

"I had another fight with dad today, because of staying out late. I don't know why he makes such a big deal over it." Jun nodded. She actually identified a bit more with Kazumi's father than Kazumi herself in this situation.

"He's only being protective of you, that's all. You really should go back and apologise," she suggested. "I've got time to go with you, if you'd like."

"You sound like my older sister," Kazumi replied slightly irritably. For a second Jun had wondered if she had touched a nerve, causing a mild wave of anxiety and a frown on her face. However Kazumi smiled and continued,

"I always wanted an older sister. And I'd be really grateful if you came with me." Jun smiled inwardly, by far and away the most pleasant feeling she'd had in a while.

Kazumi excused herself to go to the bathroom leaving Jun alone with her thoughts. She stared at the table, at the remnants of her meal. She remembered the Wolfman that wanted to eat her. And then suddenly, she stared at an image of the thing she became last night, eyes glowing yellow, her torso caked in blood and her wicked claws extended.

"It seems whatever the context, the camera loves you, dear," the voice of Lan Asuka drawled with wry amusement. Jun glared at her. She wasn't as angry as she had been this morning, but she would have preferred to have never seen Asuka's face again.

"Why are you following me? I came here to spend time with a friend; you have no right to just waltz in like this." Asuka smiled airily.

"I come and go where I please, I'd suggest you get used to it. I brought the photos because I felt you really need a reminder of your situation. It's cute that you are trying to return to your old life, but you really should consider your position more. " Just then Kazumi returned, puzzled to find Jun talking with a tall blonde stranger.

"Um, hi, are you a friend?" She enquired uncertainly as she sat back down.

"No, just a fan," Asuka responded.

"Oh, I see. Is that a photo you wanted signed?" Kazumi said as she leaned forward to pick up photograph laying on the table. Jun swept her hand away like a bolt of lightning. Kazumi reeled back, shocked.

"Jun, why, what's with you all of a sudden?" Jun did not meet her eyes, and simply replied as she put the photograph into her bag,

"Kazumi, I'm sorry, but, I can't do this anymore..."

"What do you mean, Jun?"

"Go Kazumi. Go home, and forget about me. I don't want to see you anymore." Those words rended her to say, but Jun realised it had to be done. How could she drag someone she cared so much about into her life with the mess it had become, let alone a girl still in high school. It was the only choice. Kazumi had been taken so aback that she didn't say anything. She threw some change on the table for the bill, picked up her bag and ran. Jun was certain that there had been tears in her eyes. They certainly threatened hers. Jun watched her run out of the restaurant, feeling utterly miserable and powerless.

"Well, at least she was an obedient pet to the end," Asuka commented. Jun glared at her furiously.

"She never was my pet." Asuka shrugged.

"You have no shame dear, but; who am I to judge. Come, I have fresh prey for you." Jun was livid, angrier than she could put into words. Yet, she obeyed. What else was there for her to do? She was now the hunters dog. Deep inside her, though she'd never admit, she was looking forward to drawing someone's blood, even if not her preferred targets.